News

Spoof bus stop advert sparks police interest

THE firm responsible for advertising on bus shelters has said it has reported a spoof advert to Thames Valley Police.

A poster reading “Plan for a Healthy Retirement” and featuring a picture of a doctor handing an elderly woman a gun, above, appeared at a bus shelter in Abingdon Road, Oxford, yesterday morning.

Media company Clear Channel, which manages the advertising on most bus shelters in Oxford, confirmed it had reported the matter to police.

Clear Channel spokesman Guy Melzack said they’d had a number of reports of a similar thing happening elsewhere in the country. He said: Our operations teams are working to replace the affected sites and we will liaise with those client and agency partners whose campaigns have been affected to ensure that their campaigns are fulfilled.”

Mr Melzack said the bus shelter could have been defaced as part of the movement called “brandalism” which subverts advertising billboards to make political and social points.

This month the movement has organised a “takeover” of more than 360 corporate advertising spaces, replacing them with artwork.

The Oxford Mail contacted the Police for comment but it did not respond.

Comments (9)

In particular the St Aldates bus stops (Blacks side), and near The Oxford Castle entrance.

Given that they are appear to be anti-capitalist, it did make me smile wondering how much they would be worth in the future - if someone collected them all and evidenced their provenance in 20 years on the Antiques Road Show.

They were on a few sites around Oxford centre on Sunday.
In particular the St Aldates bus stops (Blacks side), and near The Oxford Castle entrance.
Given that they are appear to be anti-capitalist, it did make me smile wondering how much they would be worth in the future - if someone collected them all and evidenced their provenance in 20 years on the Antiques Road Show.Andrew:Oxford

I think it is ironic that these posters are appearing on what are called bus shelters. These are first and foremost advertising hoardings put up by the advertisers with the attached bus shelter as an excuse. For example there are two on the A34 at Botley. These are advertising hoardings solely as no buses have stopped at them for years. If they are put up for free then surely they should be taken down for free when the bus shelter is no longer required.

Unless purely informative, advertising is the last resort of a seller with too much of a mediocre product to shift. Good products and services sell themselves by word of mouth.

I think it is ironic that these posters are appearing on what are called bus shelters. These are first and foremost advertising hoardings put up by the advertisers with the attached bus shelter as an excuse. For example there are two on the A34 at Botley. These are advertising hoardings solely as no buses have stopped at them for years. If they are put up for free then surely they should be taken down for free when the bus shelter is no longer required.
Unless purely informative, advertising is the last resort of a seller with too much of a mediocre product to shift. Good products and services sell themselves by word of mouth.Cityview

I think the No 44 still stops at those stops. Bring on the shelters I say - if it were down to the City Council we wouldn't have any shelters at all, or we'd have just the handful in a dilapidated state we had until the early 00s when the Clear Channel deal went through. Now we have dozens of modern, maintained shelters with lighting! Let's not forget none of the City ones were lit either.

I think the No 44 still stops at those stops. Bring on the shelters I say - if it were down to the City Council we wouldn't have any shelters at all, or we'd have just the handful in a dilapidated state we had until the early 00s when the Clear Channel deal went through. Now we have dozens of modern, maintained shelters with lighting! Let's not forget none of the City ones were lit either.King Joke